Mick Karn Died Yesterday, aged 52

[Greeny]

This is really sad for me  

It's goodbye to a true hero of mine... Mick Karn, the former fretless bass player with Japan (who are still arguably my favourite band). I worshipped these guys, and the whole sound of Japan was based on Mick's incredible fretless bass playing (plus sax and oboe contributions). He also worked with Gary Numan and Kate Bush. I think he's one of the finest bass players ever.



"The 52-year-old musician, born Adonis Michaelides in Nicosia, Cyprus, had co-founded the band with schoolfriends from Catford but after its first demise in 1982, briefly formed Dali's Car with vocalist Peter Murphy, previously with postpunk bank Bauhaus"

This is what he did best...


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=flHWJoDt3Yo

[Greeny]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cGLpurOG0yU


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WhC8LnFd2LE

[ODH]

Japan were a massive influence on me in the early eighties and still are.  Mick's fretless bass playing was incredible.  Check out Sons of Pioneers...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DPPfhUphj-c

Sad loss

[Bluesberry]

Monstorous bass

[Pipes]

..you prompted me to look at a few vids on utube too>>>>
Hadn't really been a fan...until today:))
Saw a video of Mick karn with Angie bowie..Mick was playing a Wal bass.
Wow what groovy bass lines he was playing.. he had a fantastic feel for his instrument. I was very impressed....A groove pioneer indeed...

Nick

[Pete C]

Sad. He was a great bassist and a big influence to loads of 80s bass players.

[chip withrow]

Sad. I sort of remember those guys from my teenage years. I checked out the clips posted here - the bass sound certainly makes them stand out from similar-sounding bands. Weren't groups like that part of the "New Romantics" movement?
Yet another incentive for me to get a bass of my own.

[Ferryman]

Very sad, I knew he was ill. A huge influence on me personally and on my bands in the 1980s. I saw them several times, but one of their later tours when they had Masami Tsuchiya on guitar (and Sandii and the Sunsetz supporting) was one of the best gigs ever for me.

One year younger than me as well. It's making me feel old......

Cheers,

Nigel

[Ferryman]

Weren't groups like that part of the "New Romantics" movement?

They were going at the same time but weren't quite in that category (although there were similarities). Duran Duran and Spandau Ballet typified the New Romantics whereas Japan were more arty and bit more alternative. Definitely some similarities but Japan were unique in many ways, especially with that bass sound and lack of guitars (in their later work).

Cheers,

Nigel

[Ferryman]

This is my favourite Japan track, from the period when they still had a guitarist:


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vq-XvZ9TK98

And if you want to hear how it influenced my band at the time, go here:

https://songcrafters.org/community/index.php?topic=5657.0

to listen to a track from 1983. You will here that the approach to the instrumentation and playing is very influenced by Japan (although we were more aggressive than them).

Cheers,

Nigel